Saxophone Lessons in Orlean, VA

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Piccolo Latin Percussion

Music is fun! And learning it shouldn't be any more different! I encourage the student to explore what they love in music, a song, a movie, and try to figure it out on the instrument. When you play something that you absolutely love you will have FUN and won't get bored with it. I love seeing my students thrive and let music be their passion as it is for me. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet

Teaching music to students has always been a huge passion of mine and developing a love of music is always my top priority. I had a lot of bad habits that developed over years so it will always be my goal to make sure this isn't the case with my students. Playing music should be fun, never too hard or painful. I will put a big emphasis on posture and building proper habits from the beginning. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet French Horn Oboe Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginning students I start with basics: learning how to hold the instrument, put it together, etc. Then when that is solid we learn a few notes. From there we go to the Rubank books. At the same time, we start reading music that I find appropriate for them. For adults, it depends on what they want to learn. Popular songs or songs they request. But I also push for technical mastery of the instrument so I push for knowledge of scales and then keep pushing with more challenging/fun pieces. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Bass Guitar Ukulele Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For young beginners, I generally will start with a beginning method book (such as Hal Leonard's Essential Elements) but the book will depend on the instrument as well. For older students, I want to know what kind of music they enjoy playing or listen to, and guide them along to reach their goals--whether that be to play in a band, write and record an album, or just become a better player! Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

For beginning elementary and middle school students I usually use Hal Leonard's Essential Elements. Once my student has a working knowledge of the fundamentals, I introduce music that will build confidence and keep the student's interest. Although I am using a method book, it is just a guide. Along the way, I may supplement the book with other exercises to work on specific techniques. For adults, I first assess my student's skill level, and we talk about goals and a realistic practice schedule. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet

It is very important for the music instructor to learn the nature and characteristics of his/her students. It is crucial that the teacher can make adjustments to teach according to the nature of their students, some students can learn really fast and may have a desire to be pushed harder, but many students are either normal or may require a longer time to digest the material. I encourage students to practice in order to help their progress and I always model for students in the lesson. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet Music

My teaching philosophy encourages exploration of music with a focus on the uniqueness of each individual student and their particular aspirations, typically emphasizing reading classical music and improvising solos for Jazz or other more contemporary styles while having fun growing as a musician! I try to make sure lessons are fun and rewarding by adapting my teaching style to focus on the student's learning style and interests. For jazz students I encourage a lot of back and forth play-a-long between myself and the student or between the student and a play-a-long track. Read More